planetdan.net movies

Sunday, June 08, 2008 :::

Feast of Love

Rating:

Why I saw it: I liked a couple of the director's previous movies.

What I think about it: This movie, which chronicles the ups and downs of various intertwining couples, isn't even worth summarizing. It's derivative, boring, useless, predictable, and meandering. It has nothing new to say, and no new ways to say it, except perhaps a shallow justification for infidelity, which is akin to something like "it's okay to cheat as long as you eventually end up with the one that you are fated for," or on the flip side, "Don't worry if you get cheated on because that just means you obviously weren't meant to be with that person." It's the definition of forced sentimental drivel. I hesitated even wasting the time to review it.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 10:36 PM :: #

The Mist

Rating:

Why I saw it: I used to like the short story by Stephen King on which it is based.

What I think about it: Although this tale about a town enshrouded in a mysterious mist that is inhabited by a bevy of creepy-crawlies is effectively dread-inducing and disturbingly vivid, it also relies much too heavily on cliche and contrivance. Marcia Gay Harden does a good job inhabiting the religious zealot persona, unfortunately the character is so clearly cliched and unrealistic that the resulting plot contrivances of her character's story arch are completely unconvincing. And the mean-old-neighbor character portrayed by Andre Braugher is even worse, since the story does not provide a strong enough back story to justify his stubborn idiocy. It's bad when the characters in a monster movie feel more false and forced than the actual computer-generated monsters. Plus, the ending, a departure from the source material, is so unforgivingly nihilistic that you begin to wonder what point the filmmakers are trying to make, and the moral of the story gets foggier than the mist itself. Some people might call that daring. I call it sloppy and pointless.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 10:23 PM :: #

The Savages

Rating:

Why I saw it: I like the actors and the director.

What I think about it: It's a funny and depressing look at the realities and unpleasantries of old age and death, and the way real people deal with these difficult issues. Told through the viewpoint of a semi-dysfunctional brother and sister, who have plenty of their own issues to deal with, what sets this movie apart from other recent dysfunctional-family movies is the brilliant acting by the two main leads, a clear avoidance of over-sentimentalization, and a careful attention to detail and nuance. The resulting movie feels emotionally authentic and perfectly portrayed. Plus, the ending is about as feel-good as they come - in the real world.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 10:12 PM :: #

No End In Sight

Rating:

Why I saw it: It was nominated for an Oscar

What I think about it: It's maddening, frustrating, infuriating, and everything else you would expect from a documentary about the Iraq war. It's also hard to judge, because the interviewees are all disgruntled participants and reporting like this is always speculative and subjective. I'm not saying I don't believe them or the color of the resulting portrait that the movie paints, I'm just saying that it's not going to convince anyone who REALLY needs to be convinced, and those people's numbers are dwindling anyway. Hopefully. Still, it was well made and intensely watchable.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 10:07 PM :: #

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Rating:

Why I saw it: Duh.

What I think about it: Before its release, I heard some bad rumblings on the Internet about this fourth installment of the popular series (of which I have always been a major fan). I dismissed the poor reviews based on the concept that people expect more out of action movies these days. The old charms of Raiders of the Lost Ark can't really compete with today's specials effects and action extravaganzas to those with short attention spans. I figured these reviews were just coming from young kids who were expecting Transformers-level eye candy, but I think I judged the critics too harshly, because this movie is clearly the worst of the series. Its jumbled plot and surprising lack of charm are sinful to say the least, and forgive me for saying it, but no matter how much they want to try to convince people otherwise, it's just not as fun watching old, unsexy people stumbling through rehashed 1950's set-pieces which seem entirely uncomfortable and out of place for Indy. I don't think this is a franchise that can survive an "update".

On the flip side, the killer ants were cool, but I never ever ever want to see the Tarzan scene again in my entire life. Of course, it's probably impossible not to be disappointed by this movie, considering the history it has to live up to.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 9:57 PM :: #

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Rating:

Why I saw it: I heard it was funny from the critics.

What I think about it: A guy gets dumped when his girlfriend gets semi-famous and trades up for a smarmy rock star. A supposedly-cathartic trip to Hawaii to get over her becomes an exercise in awkwardness when all parties accidentally end up in the same hotel. Hilarity ensues. I know this movie is somehow associated with the entourage and experts behind Superbad, 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, yadda yadda, and I liked all of them to some extent, but I actually enjoyed this one more than most. Superbad was a combination of sweetly cute and violently profane - a creepy mixture which made me a tad nauseous - and Knocked Up was little more than a paper thin plot to hang dirty jokes on, but Forgetting Sarah Marshall was able to be profane without making me blush, cute without creeping me out, and funny without relying on a tired old plot. It's a good, solid comedy with nice likable people, which makes me comfortable to recommend it whole-heartedly.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 9:42 PM :: #

Baby Mama

Rating:

Why I saw it: I like Tina Fey.

What I think about it: I was under the impression this was a Tina Fey project, meaning she had some involvement in its creation or screenplay. I was mistaken. It's not a terrible movie, but it's pretty derivative and lacking in much originality. The surrogate mother plot isn't even worth getting into. The only thing it really has going for it is the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy combo, and even that isn't really used to its fullest potential. Granted, I laughed out loud a few times during certain rare inspired moments like the bit about sustained eye contact as a reward and a couple other one-liners. And the Sigourney Weaver character is a hoot, and I never use the word "hoot". But still, this movie is meant for Cable TV.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 9:34 PM :: #

Sunday, March 16, 2008 :::

Inland Empire

Rating:

Why I saw it: I've acquired a liking for David Lynch.

What I think about it: For the majority of filmgoers, watching Inland Empire is going to be three solid hours of "WTF?!?"

For people familiar with the previous works of David Lynch, there will still be plenty of that, yet there will also be many nods of recognition and appreciation for this melange of deconstructive surrealistic film experiments that almost plays like a David Lynch highlight reel. There is no useful point in describing the plot and I couldn't even begin to apply meaning to it all, but basically you are either in the mood for this kind of mindf*ck or you are not. I was somewhere in between. I appreciated certain elements of Inland Empire and marveled at many of the unforgettable sights as well as the bravely unhinged performances, but please don't make me sit through it again. And if you see it yourself, go in with the mindset that you will not understand what you are watching, and that this is intentional. Then you won't be disappointed.

I'm infinitely grateful that these types of art movies can still get financed and released, but I think I prefer Mr. Lynch's less abstract work, or at least the films for which some sort of narrative structure can be applied.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 5:17 PM :: #

Gone Baby Gone

Rating:

Why I saw it: Because I wanted to hate Ben Affleck even more than I already do.

What I think about it: Surprisingly, Ben Affleck seems to be a better director than I would have ever imagined. I tend to dislike Ben very much, and I've been known to compare his acting abilities to a number of inanimate objects. But I have to give him credit: Gone Baby Gone is an intriguing mystery/drama with appropriately subtle acting, a brooding tone, and an interesting moral viewpoint. It didn't exactly fool me at all, as its twists and turns were fairly predictable and overly foreshadowed, but it did offer a few exciting surprises and some nicely built tension, and the final denouement was sincerely thought-provoking. On the surface, it's about a kidnapping in a Bostonian town, but underneath all of that it's about how idealism and altruism can create difficult choices that may even be morally suspect. That's an impressive amount of heady material to pack into a modern day thriller if you ask me, so kudos to the man who did it.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 5:05 PM :: #

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Rating:

Why I saw it: I was on a plane, and I wanted to see the Oscar Nominated performance.

What I think about it: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is long, slow ("deliberately paced" is what they usually call it in the biz) and perhaps overly maudlin, but it still barely held my attention for almost three solid hours. This story about Jesse James and his relationship with his eventual assassin is interesting because it tells the story of the infamous outlaw without any flash or embellishment, and with utter lack of gun powder. I appreciated the direction and most of the acting (Casey Affleck was indeed impressive, but Brad Pitt seemed terribly miscast), and when all was said and done it actually had something interesting to say about the consequences of what it takes to be infamous. I think they could have accomplished the same thing in half the time, though. The editor of this picture gets an F, regardless of the fact that I don't regret my subsequent sore backside from the three hour run time. But to be fair, I was on a plane and had nowhere else to go.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 4:57 PM :: #

Planet Terror

Rating:

Why I saw it: I loved the Tarantino contribution to the Grindhouse double feature, so I wanted to see the other half.

What I think about it: It turns out I'm not that big a fan of Robert Rodriguez movies after all. I think I mistake my admiration for his kinetic shooting style and unbridled enthusiasm for actual appreciation of the resulting film. Because when I think back on it, there's not much in his catalog that I would ever care to see again. I found Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico to be infinitely cool in some aspects, yet infinitely lacking in others. The Spy Kids movies are throwaways. Sin City was a pointless, nihilistic exercise in style. From Dusk Til Dawn was close to being good, but somehow it didn't take itself seriously enough. I think the only thing he ever did that I honestly liked was his "The Misbehaviors" segment from Four Rooms, and that's because it's short length better suited its subject matter. Basically, I've realized he's all flash and little substance.

Planet Terror is the same: juvenile humor, gory action, and an utter lack of logic aimed straight at its core audience - sex and violence obsessed male teenagers. I understand it's supposed to be schlocky, and there are some truly inspired moments (the boy with the gun in the car and the "missing reel" segments come to mind), but when all is said and done it basically collapses under its own lack of weight, and suffers from being more akin to watching a car wreck than watching actual entertainment.

I'd like to see what Rodriguez could do with a serious story, without cartoon characters and cliches. Basically, I'd like to see if he can stop making movies like he's still a hormone-crazy teenager who found his dad's digital camera hidden in the closet. I'd like to see if he could grow up for once.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 4:28 PM :: #

Sunday, January 20, 2008 :::

There Will Be Blood

Rating:

Why I saw it: PT Anderson.

What I think about it: It's really impossible to talk about this astonishing movie without gushing or seeming glib. It truly is an amazingly deep and profound work that creates a character study out of its various personifications of greed. It brutally examines and tries to illuminate just how far different people, in entirely different positions of society, will go in pursuit of meaningless success and power. Based around a turn-of-the-last-century oil man and his relentless quest for money and success, the movie becomes a brilliantly effective allegory for the madness and uselessness of good old-fashioned American capitalist greed in the twentieth century, regardless of whether that was its intention or not. It's a movie with incredibly lofty aspirations, and surprisingly it succeeds at meeting and exceeding those aspirations on all levels. The relentless plot and bleak foreboding are spellbinding, and the incredible technical feats of the filmmaking itself are too numerous to mention. Even the soundtrack (which seems to steal heavily from Kubrick - especially The Shining) seems revolutionary in how it is used.

It's not exactly fun to watch, though. It's harsh, brutal, and unswerving. The ending, which might confound some people, is inevitable and appropriate, although staggeringly bleak and depressing. I'd give the movie five stars if it didn't make me want to slit my wrists.

Regardless, it's really an incredible movie, but those who like to go to the movies for escapist entertainment best look elsewhere.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 4:32 PM :: #

Ocean's 13

Rating:

Why I saw it: I enjoyed the first one.

What I think about it: I liked Ocean's 11. It was a laid-back and sufficiently fun crime caper with lots of pretty people in it and a snidely clever sense of humor that was very self-aware. I think Ocean's 12 pretty much blew it by taking the "snidely clever" bit into obnoxious territory, and by drowning itself in a boring plot and an uncomfortable setting. The third one is back in Vegas and seemingly back on track. The laid-back attitude has returned and the humor, although less clever this time around, is thankfully less annoying. For some reason though, it just isn't enough anymore. It's all very been-there-done-that, which, although moderately entertaining for an hour and a half, still seems pointless. I think it's time for these fellas, who are admittedly talented and exciting as a team, to start a new franchise.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 4:13 PM :: #

Grindhouse: Death Proof

Rating:

Why I saw it: Why not.

What I think about it: I'd heard that out of the two Grindhouse movies, Death Proof was supposedly the least successful, and my enthusiasm had waned dramatically for this B-movie wannabe. So maybe it was due to the fact that my expectations were so low that I found Death Proof to be so incredibly enjoyable. Sure, this overlong slasher flick about an aging stunt man who uses his death-proofed car as a murder weapon has WAY too much setup, and sure, most of the dialogue was not up to par for a typical Quentin Tarantino movie (which was most likely intentional, considering its B-movie aspirations), but I can't help it: the last 30 minutes of this movie were an absolute blast. The tone was pitch-perfect, the action was packed, and the climax was exhilarating. Some people might find the characterizations in the last half to be a bit annoying, and I can totally understand that, but they fit the tone of the movie perfectly, and in the end I was practically cheering. It's not as re-watchable as most of Quentin's previous movies, but as a singular movie-watching experience, it was one of the most memorable ones I've ever had.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 3:54 PM :: #

The Bourne Ultimatum

Rating:

Why I saw it: the Bourne movies are always above average.

What I think about it: It's pretty much just an extended version of the second movie, and I don't know how much more they can wring out of the amnesiac super-soldier plot device, but the third Bourne movie succeeds in the exact same way the other two did: it delivers action and intrigue at a fast pace and with sympathetic characters. I really like the use of Julia Stiles and Joan Allen in this movie, and Matt Damon is still just as solid as always in the role, but I think the director has a habit of getting a little too close to the action, making it hard to really see what's going on half of the time and inducing motion sickness the other half. Regardless, it's still a fun movie, even if it is beginning to strain credibility. But I guess "far-fetchedness" is no stranger to Hollywood action movies.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 1:05 PM :: #

Friday, January 04, 2008 :::

Juno

Rating:

Why I saw it: For the reviews and for Ellen Paige, who was so unbelievably awesome in Hard Candy.

What I think about it: It's not exactly breaking new ground or redefining cinema as we know it, but somehow Juno - a cute little tale about a rambunctious teen dealing with her teenage pregnancy - avoids all cliches or pandering platitudes or eye-rolling moments as it tells you a story you've heard a thousand times before. More than that, it is so laid-back and easy-going and confident with its warm fuzziness that all you want to do is hug and kiss everyone around you in solidarity. By the time the movie reached its inevitable climax, you couldn't have removed the smile on my face with coarse sandpaper.

Of course, my enjoyment of this little movie might also have to do with the fact that the dialogue sounds like it was lifted straight out of an episode of Gilmore Girls. In fact, given the similarities in the plotting and tone, I couldn't help but fantasize that the incredible Ellen Paige was actually portraying a 16-year-old Lorelie Gilmore. And evoking a Gilmore Girls feeling could never be considered a bad thing.

But seriously, the movie never makes one false step. It's practically perfect.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 7:57 AM :: #

I Am Legend

Rating:

Why I saw it: Honestly, we were bored and wanted to see movie and nothing else was fitting our schedule.

What I think about it: I'm a junkie for post-apocalypse movies, and I'm an even bigger fan of zombie movies, so even though I try to avoid all Will Smith movies made after Six Degrees of Separation, I thought it might have enough going for it to overcome that huge hurdle for me. Will Smith is a competent actor who just chooses bad movies, so his turn here as the "last man on Earth" in New York City after a deadly virus has turned the population into rabid flesh-eaters is pretty enjoyable, but the movie itself lacks consistency and definition, and it wavers from intriguing, to nail-biting, to ridiculous, to banal with way too much ease. But my main problem with the movie was the zombies. They are so clearly computer animated and enhanced that I didn't for a second find them believable. There really was no reason for the use of CG here. An actor in makeup would have been more than sufficient, and infinitely scarier. And cheaper. But I suppose if you want to promote yourself as a big-budget action adventure movie starring Will Smith, then you have to actually BE a big budget action adventure starring Will Smith, so why not pile on the special FX? I'll tell you why not: because they ruin the movie by undercutting the believability. Sometimes bigger isn't better.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 7:45 AM :: #

Hot Fuzz

Rating:

Why I saw it: I loved Shaun of the Dead

What I think about it: Well, it seems the filmmakers certainly have a distinctive style, because Hot Fuzz is pretty much a remake of Shaun of the Dead, only without the zombies, and frankly the charm is beginning to fade a bit. It's a mildly funny tale about a super cop in Ireland who is sent away from the big city to command a small country town because he was making everyone else look bad. Of course, nothing in this quaint little village is what it seems and bullet-riddled chaos ensues. The movie definitely has its moments and the two main characters are every bit as fun to watch as they were in Shaun of the Dead, but honestly I think I was expecting a more biting satire of Action Movie cliches than a movie that actually succumbed to them.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 7:38 AM :: #

Once

Rating:

Why I saw it: Reviews

What I think about it: A lovely little romance/musical about two lonely strangers in Dublin finding a way to communicate through their mutual love for Damian Rice music. Seriously, though, it's cute and effective and the music isn't half bad. It doesn't exactly have a plot and it definitely avoids anything like a climax or a denouement, but it's sweet-natured and laid back and it might even succeed at bringin' a wee tear to your eye.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 7:33 AM :: #

The Host

Rating:

Why I saw it: Good reviews.

What I think about it: The action sequences in this movie about a pollution-fueled mutated sea monster in Korea are breathtakingly staged and the filmmakers are definitely able to sketch some sympathetic characters as they tell the tale of the resulting governmental paranoia run amok, but the movie itself tends to meander a tad, and the resulting lack of focus mixed with the fact that some of the substance has undoubtably been lost in the translation means you're left with little more than a stylish/well-made monster movie that clearly wants to have more meaning and significance than it actually does. Still, it's quite entertaining, although not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

Learn more about it.

::: posted by dan at 7:06 AM :: #